By The River Styx
by Mme. Raye
Summary: It's a tough life if you're the daughter of convict Sirius Black, even tougher when you reveal old family secrets, and really rough when you fall in love with a man twenty years older than you...Please R
1. Lady

A tall girl with long black hair pushed her trolley through platform 9 and 3/4. An older woman with flamingo pink hair was right behind along with a middle-aged woman. The raven hair girl gazed at the Hogwarts train and frowned.  
  
"Don't worry about those people, Sylvia. You'll do great. You have a sharp mind and will pass all of your O.W.L.'s I know it. Otherwise, why are you in Ravenclaw?" The pink hair woman told the younger girl, she knew exactly what was bothering Sylvia at that moment.  
  
"I'm not worried about that Tonks, I mean won't Sirius Black come after Harry Potter?" Sylvia asked the two women.  
  
"Sylvia, don't worry about Sirius. He might have been in Azkaban but he doesn't have it in him to go after Harry."  
  
"Are you sure Aunt Andromeda?" Sylvia asked the other woman.  
  
"Positive." Tonks replied for her mother and gave her a smile.  
  
"Go on, you'll be late for the train." Andromeda gave Sylvia a hug then Tonks gave her a hug. Sylvia waved good-bye as she boarded the train.  
  
"If Sirius goes after her, he'll have me to deal with." Tonks told her mom.  
  
"Don't talk like that. Sirius won't harm his own blood. If he goes after her, it would be to see her. Possibly seeing his child grown will set him good." Andromeda and Tonks left the platform. Sylvia walked down the compartments, opening each until she found the Weasley twins with Lee Jordan.  
  
"Mind if I sit with you?" She asked them. George was the first to respond.  
  
"Yes, of course!" He exclaimed, pushing Fred forward, clearing a spot for her.  
  
"Thanks." She giggled and took the seat.  
  
"How was your summer?" Lee asked.  
  
"Well, I went to Spain and spent time with some distant relatives of my Aunt Andromeda." She ran a hand through her sleek black hair.  
  
"Fascinating." George said which caused Sylvia to grin.  
  
"You know Maeve McGonagall is coming back this term. She did this accelerated program in America and she's going to take her N.E.W.T.'s, youngest witch to have graduated from Hogwarts." Fred told them.  
  
"Wow, I'm surprised she isn't in Ravenclaw with brains like that. Andromeda considered sending me there do to my...erm...close relatives but in the end, Hogwarts seemed the best choice." She looked around the compartment uncomfortably. "Dumbledore also did a lot of persuading. Afterall, Hogwarts is a pretty safe school."  
  
"Yeah, with Sirius Black escaped and all." Fred agreed. George gave him a sharp look and Sylvia's eyes fell.  
  
"Where is that trolly, I'm nearly starving!" Lee exclaimed trying to lighten the compartment's heavy silence.  
  
"I wonder why we are stopped." George looked out the window. The compartment door slid open and a black, hooded figure appeared suddenly. They all gasped and shivered. After a few moments, the thing passed.  
  
"What was that?" Fred asked, the door opened.  
  
"Oh no! Not again!" Sylvia cried. Luckily, Malfoy stumbled in, shivering and yelling in panic. George rolled his eyes.  
  
"Leave Malfoy!" Malfoy regained his composure and muttered a snide comment before returning to his own compartment.  
  
"Wonder if Ginny and Ron are ok." Fred said standing up.  
  
"Let's go." George stood up. "See you around Sylvia." He cheeks turned the same his color as his hair. He left with Fred leaving Sylvia and Lee alone.  
  
"Is George always like that?" She asked Lee.  
  
"No, just he's fancied you since last year. I thought he was over it." Lee and Sylvia both chuckled but it faded into silence.  
  
"That thing was horrible!" She had a worried expression in her face.  
  
"What Malfoy or the dementor?" He asked with a grin.  
  
"Dementor, I've heard of them but not seen one before." She sighed. "Azkaban must be a truly awful place if you have those lurking about."  
  
"Is everyone ok?" A hoarse voice asked once he slid open the door.  
  
"We're fine, a bit startled." Lee replied not recognizing the man.  
  
"Good." He nodded to the both of them before sliding the door shut. Sylvia's eyes lingered on the door for a moment.  
  
"I wonder who that was." Lee thought aloud.  
  
"He looked a bit shabby, I think he's ill." Sylvia said recalling his wary eyes.  
  
"Must be those dementors." Lee opened a bag of candies. "Want a chocolate frog?"  
  
"No thank you." She bit her lip.  
  
They arrived to the castle, most of the kids chattered wildly but stopped when Sylvia walked by. They whispered silently saying things along the lines of  
  
'That is the daughter of Sirius, escapee from Azkaban, wizzard at large' or 'must not talk to her or she might kill us like her dad did to all those people.' She raised her chin higher and made longer strides causing her black hair to swish behind her. Fred found her and waved her over to them. She smiled thankfully and joined the boys. They talked amongst themselves as they entered the Great Hall. Sylvia took a seat at the Ravenclaw table next to Roger Davies. Most Ravenclaws hesitated to talk to her but realized that she was still their friend and would never harm them. They hushed and Dumbledore gave a few announcements. Once he said that the man on the train was the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, Sylvia gasped.  
  
"How can he teach it when he looks like he's about to snuff?" She asked Roger while they both clapped. Roger shrugged. "I hope he doesn't die in a lesson."  
  
"He won't, he must be better than Lockheart." Roger loudly said.  
  
"But he's not as handsome as Lockheart." Cho commented, leaning across the table.  
  
"Looks aren't everything, he's probably a better person than Lockheart which makes him more handsome." Sylvia flicked her hair over her shoulder which caught the attention of most boys around her including a certain Professor Lupin.  
  
The terrible thing about being beautiful and Sirius's daughter is that boys are frightened to date you. if you should happen to break her heart, you were sure that her dad would break your neck now that he was out of Azkaban. She was lucky before, she dated most of the handsome boys, Roger Davies, Cedric Diggory, Oliver Wood, all treating her like a prize, a Quidditch trophy. She ended up breaking it off once she realized that it was a status to date her. She now couldn't even get a boy to flirt with her, fear tugged at all their hearts. But it did not stop them from pining over her. The fact that they did bothered her more. The lustful looks from the boys hurt as much as the venomous look from their girlfriends or other girls jealous of her looks. Thankfully, George got over most of his crush that he didn't nearly blush as much and sat with her in all the classes they shared. Fred scowled and sat with Lee throwing dangerous looks at his twin. They waited for Professor Lupin to arrive.  
  
"Hello, hello!" He burst in and placed a suitcase on his desk. "Sorry I'm late. Well, fifth year! How far you have all come! We'll be preparing for your O.W.L.'s later on this year. You're pretty far behind with that Lockheart fellow teaching you last year, not nearly as far as I hoped but we can certainly catch up." His eyes looked over his class, they lingered on Geogre and Sylvia and continued on. "Let's see, we'll start off with a brief look at trolls and giants." He began a lecture pausing every so often to allow the class to catch up with the writing. He frowned once he noticed Sylvia not writing a thing down. "That concludes this lesson. Miss Black, may I have a word with you?" George gathered his things and gave her a hopeful look before leaving with Lee and Fred.  
  
"Yes, Professor?" She asked while running a hand through her hair.  
  
"I see you wrote nothing down while I lectured-"  
  
"Is just that I-"  
  
"-I know that you are very intelligent-"  
  
"-can't concentrate-"  
  
"-and you are bright like your father-"  
  
"You knew my father?" She had a confused expression on her face.  
  
"Knew, I thought I did. We went to school together, with James and Lily-"  
  
"Harry's parents." She looked away angrily. "I never knew Sirius but I hate him. Can you hate someone you don't know?"  
  
"I guess so. You do have the right to hate him." Lupin coughed softly. "You look so much like him, even your manner is like him."  
  
"That's what Andromeda feared while I grew up." She bit her lip. "She kept telling me that I was looking more and more like him. She pitied me for that, she knew that it was hard for me...Are we done?"  
  
"Yes, just try and pay more attention. It's hard enough with all the boys not paying attention."  
  
"What do you mean?" She asked innocently.  
  
"I think they are all a bit...taken with you." He said with a grin. She rolled her eyes and gathered her things with a blush. "Bye Professor Lupin." She said with her hand on the doorknob.  
  
"Bye Sylvia." He said as she closed the door.  
  
She thought about what Lupin said all through Charms. Was she just like her father? Is she weak like him? Will she become evil like him? She shook off the thoughts and found the resolution that she could never be weak or evil. She hardly listened to the lecture on the charm they were supposed to be working on and she missed the homework assigned at the end of class. She gathered her things and went straight to Fred.  
  
"Oh, hello." He greeted, he sounded a bit cold to her.  
  
"Did you get the homework in Charms?" She asked quietly. Fred cocked an eyebrow.  
  
"Your pretty hair blocking your hear?" He asked angrily.  
  
"If you don't want to tell me, then don't!" She stormed off only to run into Lee.  
  
"What's wrong?" He asked as she stopped fuming for a moment.  
  
"Fred, did you catch the Charms assignment?"  
  
"There was none, just practice the-"  
  
"Hello." Someone interrupted. It was Maeve McGonagall. "Lee, Fred is looking for you." She told Lee. Sylvia frowned at the girl. She had a cheery face framed with long, curly brown hair. She was roughly the height of Sylvia and had bright blue eyes that twinkled kindly. Sylvia knew her well when she dated Oliver Wood, Maeve was his bestfriend. When Maeve went to America, that was all Oliver talked about. She hated it so much she broke up with him, now when ever someone mention Maeve, Sylvia scowled and became cross.  
  
"Hello Sylvia." Maeve grinned pleasantly.  
  
"Maeve, how was America?" She asked trying to be civil, she didn't think of this girl as an enemy. She never really like Oliver that much to begin with, his obsession with Quidditch made him unbearable. She did like him apart from that but there was nothing else besides Quidditch to him. Sylvia liked Quidditch but only watching it.  
  
"Lovely, Massachuesetts has a lovely charm to it in the fall." She replied.  
  
"Sounds great." Sylvia faked a smile and ran a hand through her hair. She noticed a boy behind Maeve gasp at the sight of Sylvia. He hurried off with a blush.  
  
"I'll see you around." Maeve waved cheerily and left. Sylvia sighed and headed to the Ravenclaw tower. She walked down corridors, her head held high and looking rather arrogant. She was watching the boys with a grin, Professor Lupin was right, they were all taken with her. They looked guilty after they would smile at her. She stopped and caught sight of a thin boy with glasses. It was Harry Potter, the son of the parents her father betrayed. She wanted to apologize, give him soothing words, or a hug even but realized she never spoke to him before. He was with a boy with flaming red hair, George and Fred's younger brother. She grimaced as she thought about Fred. She decided to leave Harry be for now, she wanted to forget about her father right now. She began walking and walked right into a taller man.  
  
"Watch where you are going, Black." A hateful voice snapped at her.  
  
"Sorry." She apologized to Professor Snape.  
  
"Save your apologies, your essay was horrible. I see you inherited your father's sense of laziness." Snape glared at her. Her eyebrows netted and her lips became a thin line.  
  
"I spent so many hours writing that, Roger Davies said I could publish it, it was so good!"  
  
"Hours? I hardly think minutes, it was a pile of rubbish." Snape's eyes dared her to pursue the subject. Sylvia bit her tongue, she knew that Snape could give her detention whenever he felt like it. She decided not to give him the satisfaction of punishing her.  
  
"Thank you for your opinion Professor Snape, I will see you in Potions." She said coldly and forcefully before she stalked off angrily. Once she reached the tower, she threw herself on one of the purple couches and nursed her bad mood by talking to Cho Chang.  
  
"I hate Snape!"  
  
"I think that feeling is mirrored. Your essay was brilliant. You're the sharpest Ravenclaw ever! Don't let Snape get the best of you." Cho told her.  
  
"Thanks Cho. I just want to disappear you know. It's tough being the only child of a murderer, I hardly have any friends."  
  
"But you do have a huge fan club. All the boys I know are absolutely crazy about you!" Cho exclaimed.  
  
"Professor Lupin told me that." Sylvia smiled and blushed.  
  
"Really?" Cho asked noticing Sylvia's pink cheeks.  
  
"Yes, then Fred snapped at me."  
  
"Fred Weasley?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"He has been a terrible mood lately. I think it's the fact that you and George are rather close now."  
  
"George and I?" Cho nodded.  
  
"Everyone noticed it, two fellows asked me the other day if you two were...involved."  
  
"Hardly. He's the only person who will sit next to me. I'm sure Roger Davies would if I asked him and probably Lee too."  
  
"Well, are you going down to dinner?" Cho asked looking at the clock.  
  
"No, I'm not hungry. I think I'll linger."  
  
"Right then, see you later." Cho left. Sylvia moved around the couch restlessly. She wanted to leave badly but with the dementors gaurding every doorway, it was near impossible. She got up and instead of going to the Great Hall, she walked on the Quidditch field. She found a nice grassy spot and threw herself down. The feeling of the cool breeze lifted some of her anger at the world. She watched the sky change colors and fade into stars. She wanted to stay there and watch the stars. She loved Astronomy and spent some of her lonely nights watching the night sky.  
  
"I think you're supposed to be in bed now." A hoarse voice said about two feet away. Sylvia sat up and looked at the constellation Orion.  
  
"I don't care really." She sighed. "Are you going to give me detention for being out of bed past hours?"  
  
"No." She heard him sit next to him. "You shouldn't be here, with Sirius loose and all."  
  
"I don't care. He can come for me for all I care. If he kills me, so what?" Sylvia asked.  
  
"I don't think he'll kill you. He used to hold you all the time. Loved throwing you in the air. James and Lily saw how he was with you so when they had Harry it was only natural that Sirius would be his godfather."  
  
"He was..." Sylvia didn't finish what she started but allowed Lupin to continue.  
  
"He never was happier, holding you. He loved you dearly that's why he sent you to Andromeda when he was taken away."  
  
"Do you know who my mother is?" She asked in a shaky voice.  
  
"No, you were sent to Sirius, he never told anyone who your mother was. Not even James knew. Lily loved feeding you and playing with you. You were a beautiful baby but that visit was my last." Lupin's voice grew distant. He was startled to hear her sniffle. He looked over and saw that she was hiding her face but clearly was crying. "I know it's been hard but you-"  
  
"How can you know? How can you even understand what I feel?!" She jumped to her feet. "You never had to grow up an outcast. I have hardly any friends only boys that are infatuated with me or girls that I know hate my guts! Adults hate me too, I have no one, not even a father!" She wiped the last of her tears and ran off. Lupin sighed and left also, he stopped when he heard a dog or wolf howl in the woods. He shrugged it off and continued to the castle.  
  
Sylvia ran quickly through the castle and once she reached her dormitory, she threw herself on the bed and cried into her hands. One girl woke up.  
  
"Who's that?" She asked in a sleepy voice.  
  
"No one! Go back to sleep!" Sylvia cried throwing off her shoes. Sirius loved her dearly, it made her sick to her stomach. He loved her yet he ruined her life. When she woke up, she was still sick with anger and decided not to go to Hogsmeade and lingered in the castle. She spotted Harry but could not speak to him. She found her spot on the Quidditch field and read a book while eating candy corn. It was getting about time for the Halloween so Sylvia decided to go back to the Great Hall and join in part of the festivites. She ate some food quietly, stealing glances at Professor Lupin who seemed tired. She siged and headed back to the Ravenclaw tower, when she walked down the corridor a hand firmly grasped her shoulder. She turned and saw Professor Lupin, he released her shoulder.  
  
"Are you still upset with me?" He asked reminding her of her outburst last night.  
  
"I..." She trailed off.  
  
"I do know what it's like to be an outcast. Don't think that you are alone because you are not. You have me, even though being an adult might not help much, I assure you you can come to me with any problem." He gave her a reassuring smile. She frowned slightly but her mouth turned into a sad smile.  
  
"Thank you, Professor Lupin." He leaned in.  
  
"Please, while we're not in class you can call me Remus. Professor is a nasty title, I feel old and crotchety." He grinned. Sylvia smiled back.  
  
"Good night then, Remus." Sylvia turned her head quickly to hide her blush.  
  
"Good night Sylvia." He yelled behind her. He watched her retreating figure, her black hair floated back and forth across her back. He felt a pang in his chest and went back to the Great Hall.  
  
Sylvia was still blushing once she entered the Ravenclaw tower. Had Professor Lupin really ask her to call him Remus or was she dreaming.  
  
"Remus." She repeated with an airy smile and pink blush spreading to her cheeks. She stayed in the common room, cheerfully greeting everyone that came in. This took many people by surprise, they noted her bad mood earlier and avoided her war path. In the sudden change of mood, they figured she must be sick or...  
  
"In love!" Cho exclaimed to the girls in her dormitory. "I recognize that type of sigh and yearning look anywhere. She's bonkers for someone."  
  
"Sylvia, in love? Don't make me laugh. She's the last person to fall in love. She once dumped Oliver because he couldn't kiss properly. She's got a cold heart!"  
  
"No, she's just upset of course. It must be Fred Weasley, she had a row with him yesterday, they must have made up and now she's crazy about him. I knew a simple fight couldn't affect her that much." Cho and her friend, Marietta giggled at the thought of Sylvia and Fred together. They stopped when the door opened and Padma told them that they had to go to the Great Hall immediately.  
  
They entered the Great Hall looking thoroughly confused. Sylvia found Fred and George.  
  
"Hello Fred." She greeted the boy who frowned slightly at her.  
  
"Hello Sylvia." After that, their anger at each other lifted and they were at peace for now. George explained what happened after they climbed into the sleeping bags, Fred interrupted once which a few Ravenclaw girls giggled at. Soon the hall filled with rumors about the break-in by Sirius Black and Sylvia's new love  
  
interest, Fred Weasley.  
  
Sylvia arrived later than normal to her Defense Against the Dark Arts class, George was already sitting with another Ravenclaw so she took a seat next to Fred which caused a riot of giggles from all the girls. Sylvia brushed it off and realized she forgot her quill.  
  
"Fred, can I borrow a quill?" She whispered very close to his ear.  
  
"Uh...erm...forgot yours?" He whispered back close to her face.  
  
"Yes."  
  
"Would you two stop your little romance back there?" A harsh voice asked them. Both Fred and Sylvia looked up at Snape with large eyes.  
  
"Yes." They both replied causing another fit of giggles from all the girls in their class. Fred handed Sylvia a quill and didn't speak to her again. He felt awkward around her, why did she pick him to sit next to? He didn't like what he heard about her feelings for him. Sylvia was oblivious to the rumor that everyone knew by now. She did notice that everyone was kinder to her and the boys of the school her a little hurt when she walked by.  
  
"I wonder if I turn my hair red..." She heard one boy say to another. She shrugged. A finger tapped her shoulder and she turned around. It was Maeve and she looked even more cheery than ever but Sylvia could not see how that was possible.  
  
"I heard about..." Maeve leaned in with a grin, "your feelings for Fred and decided that if you want help you know to get him to date you, I'd be more welcome to."  
  
"Feelings? Fred? Date?" Sylvia looked at her like she was mad.  
  
"Yes, everyone's been talking about that."  
  
"I have no feelings for Fred!" Sylvia nearly yelled at Maeve. Maeve looked at her with a very confused look on her face.  
  
"So it's not true. Oh, well, good bye." Maeve seemed a little upset. Sylvia sighed and decided to go to the library and bury herself in a book. Maeve walked back to the Gryffndor tower with a slow walk, her face troubled which was hardly like her. She was upset to find out news that Sylvia had no interest in Fred. She nearly squealed when she heard the news in the first place. The truth was that she had grown more than friendly feelings for her best friend Oliver. He was still hung up on Sylvia, she was the first girl to ever dump him and he grew obsessed with her. He hardly stopped talking about her now and this made Maeve jealous. With Sylvia having feelings for Fred, Oliver was brooding a lot more but it left him free for Maeve to start a relationship with him. Now she knew the truth she figured it was only a matter of time before Oliver would try to steal the affection of the girl. She couldn't understand why he liked her so much in the first place so she had him explain it to her. The thing most boys liked about her is the fact that she was the unattainable, she was a precious gem that no one is allowed to have. Not only that but when you got to know her besides being the elusive beauty, her personality shined like her black hair. Maeve felt an angry surge of envy and decided to let it be and read a book in her bed with her curtains drawn.   
  
The news of the rumor upset Sylvia, she went to the Ravenclaw tower and found Cho grinning at her.  
  
"How are you and Fred doing?" She asked with a giggle following it. Sylvia frowned.  
  
"Horrible. I heard that there is the rumor that I fancy him but it's far from true." Sylvia explained to Cho. Cho's smile faded.  
  
"Oh, I thought that..." She trailed off.  
  
"What?"  
  
"I saw you on Halloween...you looked like you were in love...I thought it was Fred." Sylvia's hand shook with anger.  
  
"You spread it?"  
  
"No, I only told my friend Marietta, she must have told other people." Cho looked apologetic. Sylvia's anger faded slightly and she rushed to her dormitory. She hardly said anything to anyone the next few days. Hufflepuff vs. Gryffndor quidditch match was coming soon. Sylvia sought Oliver out and wished him luck. In his amazement, he asked her to a date. She remembered his love of quidditch and grinned.  
  
"If you win the Quidditch cup, then of course." She left him with a kiss on his right cheek. He rubbed the spot where she kissed him and found more determination to win the cup.  
  
Maeve could hardly see with all the rain. It had been a long time since she watch a quidditch match, she hardly went to them in America because the school in Salem was all-girl and the quidditch horrible so she avoided watching the embarassing games. She watched with a smile as Oliver took the field. After a few minutes of play, Maeve watched something horrible in the sky. About a hudred dementors took the field and Harry Potter fell from the sky. Maeve gasped and then let out a cry.  
  
Sylvia bit her lip as she looked at the people. She spotted Maeve.  
  
"Have you seen Wood?" She asked Maeve hastily.  
  
"In the shower, I just spoke to him. He's upset, you shouldn't bother him." Maeve shot her a dangerous look, uncharacteristic of her.  
  
"I won't bother him, really." Sylvia took off to the shower. Oliver stood in one of the stalls, sputtering out the water that hit his face.  
  
"Hello Oliver." She said, Oliver adjusted the faucet and turned began lathering his body with a bar of soap.  
  
"What do you want?" He asked angrily.  
  
"Just saying I'm sorry." Her voice echoed in the empty locker room.  
  
"What for?"  
  
"You losing, that's all. You can still win the cup." She said taking a seat.  
  
"So I can date you, right?" She rolled her eyes.  
  
"That was stupid of me, if you want to date me, it's ok. I'll accept." She ran her hand through her hair that reflected the bright lights.  
  
"No, I'm going to win then we'll date, I don't break promises." He told her looking in her eyes.  
  
"Oh." She still sounded dissappointed but smiled. She hardly noticed the water was now off.  
  
"Uh, Sylvia?" He asked her.  
  
"What?"  
  
"Can you leave, I need to change." Oliver grinned.  
  
"Oh right." She blushed and left the room.  
  
Sylvia was in an unusually good mood throughout the winter. She went to Hogsmeade and bought Tonks and Andromeda wonderful cook books and candy. She went home for the holidays, Tonks and Andromeda greeted her on the platform.  
  
"Merry Christmas!" Tonks greeted her cousin with a hug, her hair was a long silver-white.  
  
"Merry Christmas!" Sylvia hugged back. After they broke the hug, Andromeda gave her a tight hug and a kiss on the cheek.  
  
"How are you?" She asked Sylvia.  
  
"Fine, a bit peckish." Sylvia replied with a grin.  
  
"What, no horror stories about Hogwarts boys?" Tonks asked Sylvia.  
  
"Been a good year." Sylvia flased Tonks a broad smile. Tonks sighed.  
  
"And here I was looking forward to it for a change." She shook her head in dissappointment.  
  
"Are you going to stay all holiday?" Sylvia asked Tonks.  
  
"No, but I'll be there for Christmas." Tonks replied.  
  
"Oh."  
  
"Hurry now, you two!" Andromeda yelled next to a parked car. Sylvia sat in the back seat of their muggle car. Their drive was quick, they made it to the house which was decorate lavishly with holiday cheer. Sylvia tightened her scarf and headed into the house. Ted Tonks greeted the women that came through the door. Sylvia smiled as he gave her a hug.  
  
"Uncle Teddy!" She exclaimed as he whirled her around his arms. He set her down.  
  
"Boy, you've gotten lighter, are they feeding you right?" He asked looking her over.  
  
"I'm sure she's spending to much time creating mischief than worrying about eating." Tonks said with a chuckle.  
  
"Tonks, you know I would never create mischief." Sylvia grinned.  
  
"Well, have some Christmas cookies I baked earlier." Andromeda picked up a plate and offered it to Sylvia. Andromeda's Christmas cookies are famous for their vibrant colors. She used to bewitch the reindeer to fly and the Santas to say 'Ho Ho Ho!' every half an hour. Her favorite were the decorated trees, thier lights sparkled and once you bit into them, the lights would pop delightfully in your mouth. Sylvia picked up one and bit into it.  
  
"Eggnog Nymphadora?" Andromeda offered Tonks. Tonks scowled.  
  
"Mother! Please just call me Tonks!"  
  
"I named you Nymphadora for a reason!"  
  
"And that was?"  
  
"After you great grandmother of course." Sylvia and Ted talked while Tonks and Andromeda argued for the umpteenth time about her name.  
  
"I'm glad you're here." Ted smiled, he always treated Sylvia like his own daughter, how could he not? She was left in their care when she was three, he practically raised her. He remembered the day clearly, her hair was wild and her eyes flashed gloriously, he fell instantly in love with her. Tonks took some time to warm up to her but once she did, they were inseparable. Ted recalled many days that they would build a fort that had a sign that said:  
  
"No boys allowed...except Dad"  
  
They would eat cookies and drink milk while giggling. Tonks would read a fairy tale and then they would act it out in their fort. Tonks would change her hair to be long and blond so she could be Rapunzel and Sylvia would be the valiant knight and the witch at the same time. Then Sylvia would be Snow White and Tonks would play the witch and their dolls would be the dwarves.  
  
"Aunt Andromeda?" Sylvia asked interrupting the argument.  
  
"Yes?"  
  
"I need to talk to you."  
  
"About?"  
  
"Sirius Black." The room fell silent, the clock even stopped playing "Silent Night."  
  
"What do you want to know?"  
  
"Who is my mother?" Sylvia watched as Andromeda and Ted exchanged looks.  
  
"I don't know. All I know is Sirius is your father, I'm afraid only he knows and your mother knows." Andromeda answered.  
  
"How can you not know? I was just dumped on your doorstep? Didn't you want to know?!" Sylvia's voice was strained.  
  
"We never asked questions. We just loved you." Ted answered this time.  
  
"Sorry." Sylvia nodded then drank some eggnog and dropped the subject for the rest of the break.  
  
The next term started and Sylvia was sad to leave her family. She found an empty compartment and sat on one side, pulling out her newest book that Tonks gave her: "What You Don't Know That Lurks In You Toilet!" by Papa Squat Nessthyme.  
  
"Interesting book?" She looked up and saw George and Fred. Fred made no eye contact.  
  
"Yes, did you know there is a breed of gnome that live in your toilet seat?" She asked.  
  
"Sounds disturbing." George looked at his twin but Fred said nothing. George took a seat across from Sylvia.  
  
"Had a good holiday?" He asked.  
  
"Yes, and you two?"  
  
"Great." George replied but Fred said nothing. Sylvia scoffed.  
  
"Oh Fred, I never had a crush on you! That was a silly rumor that spread." Fred shifted in his seat then exhaled loudly.  
  
"Thank God!" He breathed. "Are you saying I am repulsive?" Sylvia giggled.  
  
"Yes, and all that look like you."  
  
"Hey!" George yelled and Sylvia giggled some more.  
  
"I see that you all are having a good time." Lee said from the door.  
  
"Hello Lee!" Sylvia exclaimed.  
  
"Hello Sylvia." Lee took a seat beside Sylvia.  
  
"Did you know that there is a breed of gnome that live in your toilet seat?" She asked Lee.  
  
"No, but that's good to know." Lee grinned. "Might come in handy to do your dirty work." The pun was so terrible the whole compartment filled with laughter.  
  
The spirit of the school was a little bit lighter, Sylvia spent more time outdoors than inside. She loved snow so she built millions of snowman and bewitched them so they would wave of grin at people. On her third one of that day, Wood threw a snowball at her.  
  
"Ugh!" She wiped off the snow from the side of her face while Oliver laughed loudly. "You are going to regret that!" She picked up some snow and began patting it into a ball. As she threw the snowball, Oliver skillfully threw one at her but missed and Sylvia's snowball hit him right on the chest before exploding over his clothes. They had short snowball fight, Sylvia spent most of the time running and dodging Oliver's attacks. Once they called truce, they sprawled out on the snow in exhaustion.  
  
"I haven't had so much fun in a long time." She admitted to him.  
  
"Why did you break up with me to begin with?" He asked her.  
  
"Maeve. You spent more time talking about her than paying attention to me." She answered honestly. "And when you didn't talk about her you talked about Quidditch. I was sick of it." She sat up then he sat up and turned torward her.  
  
"I guess you're right. I always thought it was because-"  
  
"You were a horrible kisser?" She finished. She sighed. "Yet another rumor created by some bored people."  
  
"So am I?"  
  
"You could use some improvement." She smiled. "Think of it as Quidditch, practice makes perfect." For some strange reason her face moved in closer to his.  
  
"So you'll help me...erm...practice?" He asked, moving toward her.  
  
"Sure. What are friends for?" His hand reached out and rested on her neck, he pulled her into a kiss. Sylvia smiled in the kiss and after a few moments pulled back.  
  
"You've gotten better Wood."  
  
"Thank you." He rubbed his arm while standing. He offered a hand to her to help her up. She took his hand and looked up.  
  
"It's snowing!" She exclaimed as white powder fell on them.  
  
"You're right!" He opened his hand and caught a snowflake that melted in his palm. They smiled and walked back to the castle. Once the were inside, Sylvia felt her body warm up instantly. The blood rushed to her cold cheeks and she figured they were either red or deep pink. She looked over to Oliver and her smile faded at his horrified expression. She peered beyond him and saw the back of Maeve's head.  
  
"Maeve! Maeve!" Oliver ran after her.  
  
"Oliver!" Sylvia called after her.  
  
"Boy troubles?" A hoarse voice asked her.  
  
"Apparently." Sylvia replied turning to face Professor Lupin. He had a sad look upon his face but tried masking it with a half smile though you could still see the pain in his eyes.  
  
"We were talking about her N.E.W.T.'s coming up when she saw you two kissing." Lupin pointed to the window near them. "Didn't take it too well." Sylvia scowled.  
  
"It's always getting messed up. Finally when I think Oliver is over Quidditch and Maeve, things are messed up. I've had enough of him!" Sylvia huffed angrily. Lupin laughed at her anger.  
  
"I remember those days." He grinned at her but it faded at the sight of her grave face. "What's wrong?" She reached in her shirt and pulled out a locket.  
  
"This." She took it off her neck. "You were Sirius's friend once." She handed it to him. "I've had this since I can remember. I think she might be my mom. I never showed Andromeda or Tonks. I was afraid they might take it away." Lupin gave it a long look. "Can you find out who she is, please?" Sylvia asked earnestly.  
  
"If it means that much to you." Lupin agreed, he was startled when Sylvia threw her arms around his neck and squeezed him tightly.  
  
"Thanks!" Lupin breathed in her hair and exhaled deeply as she let him go. "Bye!" She ran off and yet again, Lupin watched her leave, his heart pounded loudly in his chest.  
  
"This is not good Remus." He said aloud.  
  
"Love is always good." A portrait of a woman said.  
  
"Not this kind. It'll be the end of me." He told the portrait before heading off to his office.  
  
Sylvia was upset that Ravenclaw lost to Slytherin but decided that she won't date Oliver even if he did win the cup, he still clearly had something to work out between Maeve and him. She approached him and he sadly agreed that it was best not to start a relationship on such terms. They shook hands and Sylvia felt glad that it was over between them, for good. But Maeve was still sore about it and didn't hide the glares when they passed in the corridors. Sylvia sought her out and approached calmly.  
  
"Listen Maeve." Maeve's eyes narrowed on Sylvia's face.  
  
"What?" She snapped angrily.  
  
"I'm came to tell you that Oliver and I aren't together."  
  
"And?"  
  
"And, I thought that would be enough what else do you-"  
  
"Sylvia and Maeve you need to come with me." Professor McGonagall said to the girls. They looked at each other and followed her. She led them to her empty classroom.  
  
"What's going on-" Maeve was cut off by Professor McGonagall.  
  
"This." She held up Sylvia's locket.  
  
"That's mine." Sylvia said.  
  
"Yes, you can have it back." Professor McGonagall handed it to her.  
  
"But Professor Lupin was going to find out who she is for me."  
  
"I know who she is." Maeve was looking at the locket. "She's Pallas McGonagall. Why would you have a locket of her?"  
  
"Because she is the daughter of her." Professor McGonagall replied.  
  
"How do you know?" Sylvia asked disbelieving.  
  
"My brother fell in love with a siren. It was foolish but he left everything for her and died. They had one child, a daughter they named Pallas and she was raised by my sister Athena. When she was barely out of Hogwarts she met a man and they had a set of twins. Their relationship was over before it started. She knew she couldn't raise twins on her own so she kept the one that looked most like her and sent the other to live with her father. Unfortunately, that man was sent to Azkaban so she was raised by-"  
  
"His cousin." Sylvia interrupted.  
  
"Yes."  
  
"So does this mean I'm part siren?" Sylvia asked.  
  
"Yes and no. Pallas had the powers of a siren because she was the only daughter of her mother, she passed on her powers to one twin. She thought that the one that most resemble her must have the powers-"  
  
"Are you saying we're twins?" Maeve interrupted her this time.  
  
"Yes. When Professor Lupin showed me your locket, Sylvia, I knew that you were her twin, not identical, you look too much like your father and Maeve like her mother." Professor McGonagall finished and left silence so they can gather their thoughts.  
  
"Who's the siren?" Sylvia asked.  
  
"Isn't it obvious, boys can hardly keep their eyes off you." Maeve answered bitterly.  
  
"True, but Sirius had that effect on girls while he went here. Caused much trouble."  
  
"It has to be me. I tried out for the choir but was turned down before my audition." Sylvia recalled her first year here.  
  
"Well, at least you know now." Professor McGonagall spoke now. "I'll give you two a moment." She left them alone. Maeve sighed.  
  
"So I'm the daughter of a convict."  
  
"Only for a few minutes, I've been his daughter all my life." Sylvia's fingers clenched the locket tightly.  
  
"I'm sorry, that came out wrong." Maeve frowned and took her hand. "At least now we have each other. We're sisters now, that's important."  
  
"I guess." Sylvia bit her bottom lip and sighed. "So, what are you doing this summer?"  
  
"Nothing yet."  
  
"Would you like to stay with me?" Maeve's face broke out into that familiar cheer.  
  
"Love to." Sylvia nodded and smiled back.  
  
Sylvia heard that Sirius escaped from the hands of the Ministy at Hogwarts. She also heard that Professor Lupin resigned. She immediately went to found out if the rubbish was true. She opened his office and he was just starting on packing.  
  
"So it's true." She frowned and shut the door. He looked like he survived a terrible fight.  
  
"Yes, it is." He had a sad smile and blinked at her a few times.  
  
"Professor McGonagall told me about my mom." Sylvia had tears in her eyes and that made her even more upset. She never liked to cry in front of people, she hated the sympathetic looks and comforting rubs. If anything, she waited until she was alone but Lupin made it different.  
  
"I never met Pallas before, Sirius mentioned her once." Lupin paused. "I need to pack." He began putting things in a chest.  
  
"I'll help." She picked up some papers and placed them in his briefcase. She stared at a paper that she wrote a long time ago, she flipped through them and saw that it was a stack of all her papers she ever wrote in his class. "Keeping this for a reason?" She asked showing him her papers.  
  
"Oh, I meant to give those back." He avoided her eye.  
  
"They look like they've been read over plenty times." She noticed coffee stains and creases. "Did you show it to other teachers?"  
  
"Uh no." She turned around and set them on his desk.  
  
"Does this mean..." She didn't finished, she felt the breath on her neck to understand why he kept them.  
  
"I understand if you don't-" She turned so sharply that their noses were touching.  
  
"Professor Lupin...Remus..." She closed her eyes and placed a soft kiss on his lips. Lupin, in shock, pulled back quickly. He saw tears fill in her eyes and frowned.  
  
"I can't let this happen Sylvia. You won't understand now but you will in a few years." He lifted up his briefcase and placed some papers in it.  
  
"I'm part siren." She said but he carried on placing more papers in it, throwing a few in the waste basket. "Do you understand what that means?" He said nothing but put away his set of quills. She grabbed his quills to get his attention.  
  
"What does it mean?" Lupin asked sounding cross.  
  
"I'm going to die if you leave me." Lupin stared in her eyes then exhaled deeply.  
  
"Sylvia, I'm not your true love. You'll find him soon and you're not going to die."  
  
"You really mean that?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"I hope you at least come to the funeral!" With that Sylvia stormed out of his room.  
  
"Sylvia! Sylvia!" He yelled after her but she slammed the door shut. He pulled out the Marauder's Map and watched her walk to the Ravenclaw Tower but stopped and it looked like she was talking to Harry Potter at that moment.  
  
Sylvia felt tears fall down her face and she hated it. She hated Lupin for causing her heart to break, it felt like everything in her chest just crumpled.  
  
"Sylvia Black?" Someone asked her. She looked to see Harry Potter with his ruffled hair.  
  
"Yes?" She asked wiping away the rest of her tears.  
  
"I just wanted to tell you that your dad is innocent."  
  
"What?"  
  
"I know it sounds strange but I found out that your dad did not murder Peter Pettigrew and all those people. He was framed, he also did not betray my parents." Harry said softly so no one overheard him.  
  
"Are you sure?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"Then I believe you." She closed her eyes and smiled. "Oh, I've got to write to him. I'll be at Tonks for a bit but he can write me there." She looked down at Harry and scratched the back of her head. "I tried to tell you all year that I was sorry for what my dad did but I never got the courage to approach you. It's kind of a hard thing to come up to someone and tell them."  
  
"It's ok, I'm glad I have my godfather back."  
  
"Me too." She gave him a cheerful smile. "Maybe we'll see each other around."  
  
"Yeah, that would be fun." He smiled back and she nodded.  
  
"Bye Harry, have a great summer."  
  
"You two, is Professor Lupin in his office?"  
  
"What makes you think I was there?" Her voice grew cold.  
  
"You came from that direction, I just need to say good-bye to him."  
  
"Oh, yes, he's in his office." She waved to him and left. As she packed she kept stopping, throwing down whatever was in her hand and let out an angry tear. Why should she cry over someone who couldn't love her? Why can't she get over it? She's broken many hearts before and had hers broken too but why did this one hurt more than anything she ever felt? Why was he so special? She finished packing her trunk and decided to find Maeve. She did after running into some friends.  
  
"Hey Maeve, want to ride together?" She asked her twin sister.  
  
"Sure." Maeve gave a cheerful smile to her but Sylvia could not return one. They stood around and talked a bit. The warm summer breezes soothed Sylvia slightly but they could not warm her up. They found a compartment and sat across from each other.  
  
"I found him." Sylvia told Maeve softly.  
  
"Really?" Maeve smiled with excitement. "So who is it?" Sylvia shook her head and looked out the window. Maeve's smile faded as she watched her sister's eyes. They brimmed with tears and Sylvia would angrily blink so they could fall down her cheeks. "Oh." Maeve moved to the spot behind her. She wrapped an arm around the girl. "It'll be alright." Maeve moved her so that Sylvia could cry on her shoulder.  
  
"No, it won't." Sylvia sobbed softly into her hands. Once they reached the station, Ted and Andromeda were waiting for Sylvia. She hugged them both and stepped aside.  
  
"Aunt Andromeda, Uncle Ted, I would like to introduce Maeve McGonagall, my twin sister." She pointed to Maeve who grinned at them.  
  
"My word! Twins! Never in my life have I heard of this!" Andromeda exclaimed giving Maeve a warm hug.  
  
"Pleased to meet you!" Ted chuckled and gave Maeve a hug.  
  
"Thank you." Maeve smiled. She cast a worried glance at Sylvia then smiled at her relatives.  
  
"Well, let's be off. I think Tonks is getting tickets to some Quidditch World Cup from her work. It would be nice to see it." Andromeda told the girls. They looked at each other and grinned.  
  
"I guess it would." Sylvia added.  
  
"Nice indeed." Maeve said.  
  
"Quidditch? Isn't that the game played on brooms? What are the rules again?" Ted asked the witches.  
  
**Lady, when you're with me I'm smiling  
  
Give me all your love  
  
Your hands build me up when I'm sinking  
  
Touch me and my troubles all fade  
  
Lady, from the moment I saw you  
  
Standing all alone  
  
You gave all the love that I needed  
  
So shy, like a child who has grown**

A/N: I changed this chapter a little by adding the lyrics. All these lyrics belong to Styx and I do not own them, I'm just borrowing a few lines for my story so don't sue me! Anyway, I hope you guys are enjoying this, remember to Review to help me know what you think. Thanks!


	2. Give In

He ran his right hand down her smooth stomach, it was slick with sweat from the both of them. He rolled them over so she was on top now, he grabbed a fistful of the long black hair and pulled her in. She moaned as his other hand cupped her left breast but he silenced her moan with a passionate kiss. She pulled away to leave kisses on his neck.

"Oh Remus." He rolled them over so he was on the top. He thrusted in her a little faster causing her to moan loudly. Soon the moans became a steady rhythm and a little more shrill.He bolted upright in his bed. He glared at his alarm clock then squeezed the bridge of his nose with his fingers. Rubbing his eyes, the alarm clock still made that annoying beeping noise. He stretched his arms and reached for the alarm clock, throwing it against the wall. It smashed and fell to pieces on the floor. He groaned while standing up and threw off the twisted sheets from his bed. They were covered in sweat and God knows what other fluids. He rolled them into a ball and sent them to the hamper. He sat on his bare bed and thought about the dream, every night he had the same type of dream. It was bad enough that he saw her face every where but now he was tortured in his dreams by her.

"Damn!" He got up and went to his study. He picked up his waste basket, filled with unsent letters to her. He grabbed a broom and a dustbin to sweep up the shattered alarm clock. Once he finished he stared at his face in the mirror, how can one person leave him as half a man?

Maeve straightened her coat again, she adjusted in her chair, and picked at her fingernails. She watched the clock and sighed. She picked up a magazine and read the title and set it back down. She then started to bite her lip and tap her finger, her nervous behavior caught the attention of the receptionist.

"You'll be fine dear, it's not a hard job to go out for. A red-headed boy even stuttered through his interview, pronounced his name wrong but still was hired. Well, Crouch still calls him Weatherby but I mean, he's a good man and will hire anyone qualified for the job." Maeve didn't look eased by the witch's words, her anxiety about the job was only partly the reason for her behavior. The other is the fact that Sylvia recently took up smoking and drinking, something not fit for a sixteen year old girl. Andromeda and Ted did not notice it, Sylvia hid it well. Athena thought nothing of it. She always went for a walk where a little cigarette hung lazily from her lips. Maeve tried to approach her about it but she just shrugged.

"I really don't care." The drinking was harder to notice, Maeve found empty bottles of firewhiskey in the waste basket. She decided to let Sylvia go down the path of ruin than lose her sister again forever. But it troubled Maeve, Sylvia grew so restless and bitter over the month that Maeve saw a completely different person than the one on the train from Hogwarts. She hoped that a new school year would change her sister and perhaps-

The door opened and Crouch walked out of his office quickly. The receptionist stood up and extended her hand to Maeve.

"This is Maeve McGonagall for her interview." Crouch gave her a glance, Maeve didn't even think he actually looked at her.

"Yes, impressive interview, hired." He mumbled before walking off. the receptionist sighed.

"He's been preoccupied lately. I'll show you where you're going to work." She led Maeve down a hallway but Maeve frowned before following her.

Sylvia pulled out another cigarette and lit it. She already had one in her mouth but after a satisfied puff of the new cigarette, she plucked the old on from her lips and threw it in the ashtray where fifty more lay. She heard a knock on her door, she just had time to tuck away the ashtray and box of cigarettes before it opened. She learned a neat trick watching a muggle movie where she flipped the cigarette in her mouth.

"Oh, I'm back from my interview." Maeve sighed while closing the door behind her. Sylvia flipped out the cigarette and began to lazily smoke it. "You really should quit."

"I don't care."

"Yes, well they got me working a heavy load so I can't make it to the Quidditch World Cup." She pulled out a briefcase already filled with parchment.

"Oh well." Sylvia said without any emotion. Maeve shot her a look.

"Here's your Hogwarts letter." Sylvia opened it and Maeve looked over her shoulder and took her it.

"Dress robes?" Sylvia shrugged.

"Listen, I don't what's gotten into you lately but I wish that you would stop hurting yourself. It'll only make it worse." Sylvia angrily extinguished her cigarette.

"Worse? I don't think it can get worse." Sylvia went to the window and watched Minerva and Athena drinking tea. She ran a hand through her long black hair. "What do you think if I cut my hair."

"Don't be silly, it's fine the way it is." Maeve pulled out parchment to write to Oliver.

"I suppose but that really throw everyone off. My hair has been long since I could remember. If I cut it, then it might make me feel better."

"What you mean by that?" Maeve looked up from letter.

"I'll be different...I won't feel like myself." Sylvia explained. "It's a silly reason, I suppose."

"Silly but we'll try. If not, I have a wonderful hair growth tonic I made in America. Some silly girl tried to cut her own hair, it was horrible."

"Will you cut it?"

"Sure." Maeve smiled. "Into the bathroom, Athena would kill us if we got hair all over the room."

"Thank you Maeve." Sylvia smiled and went into the bathroom. Maeve found the scissors and started cutting her sister's hair. After she finished, Sylvia looked at her reflection. Maeve cut it short a pageboy haircut. It suited Sylvia well, it made her look more mature and stylish.

"Wow, it's short." Sylvia touched the ends of her hair.

"I thought you would like it."

"Can I have a moment?"

"Sure." Maeve closed the door and frowned when she heard sniffling. "Sylvia, are you okay?"

"Fine!" She yelled through the door.

"You want me to get that tonic?" She heard Sylvia sigh.

"No, not yet at least." Sylvia opened the door. "I like it." She smiled at Maeve.

"Good, you look great. You'll knock out the Hogwarts boys!" Sylvia didn't seem comforted by the remark but took out a cigarette and lit it up. She slowly walked to the window, opening it slowly and leaned on the edge. She exhaled the smoke and stared at the wall. Maeve sighed and went back to her letter. Sylvia continued to smoke and once she finished her cigarette she stood up.

"I'm going for a walk." She put her hand on the handle and heard Maeve sighed.

"Okay. I'll be here writing." Sylvia turned around sharply.

"Don't you even care!" She cried. "Don't you even care, any of you!"

"What do you mean?" Maeve asked taken aback from the outburst. Maeve watched as her sister changed completely, her eyes were not fierce any more, her lips a thin line. Nothing moved, she was like a cold statue with no emotion.

"Nothing, I'll be back later." Sylvia quickly left Maeve to be puzzled about her outburst. Maeve made a mental note to ask Aunt Athena about it.

It was nearly supper time when Sylvia came back. Athena was about to scold her about it but got a sharp look from Maeve. Instead she complimented her new hairdo and ate supper using small talk to get a response from her great niece. To her dismay, Sylvia answered in one syllable words so she decided to leave at that and not force her again. Sylvia was fine until a week ago, Athena heard it but did nothing, Sylvia had a fit upstairs. She threw everything around and cried out in angry screams. Athena was about to go upstairs to see what was going on but Maeve came from downstairs and told her not to bother her. Since then, Sylvia smoked like a chimney and drank like a fish, Athena noticed immediately but said nothing. Maeve told her a boy at school broke her heart and Athena had nothing but sympathy for her. Sylvia took it hard and decided a path of self destruction is the best way of dealing with it so Athena allowed her to nurse her broken heart. She was harsh on her niece about the loss of her lover, Sirius. She tried hard to help her deal with it but in the end Pallas wilted away and died when Maeve was a young girl. Maeve wasn't allowed near her mother at the end, Pallas had no love for her own daughter anymore. It broke Athena's heart to even look at her. Pallas lay in her bed, all life drained from her, there was nothing in her eyes just the shell of a former person. Athena took it upon herself to raise Maeve and love her like she should be. So Athena swore that she would not be so hard on a broken heart, after all, time heals all wounds even as deep as your heart.

"Do you still want to go to the Quidditch World Cup?" Athena asked softly.

"I don't care really." Sylvia answered with no emotion.

"Oh, well maybe we'll just go to Daigon Alley and pick up some supplies for next term."

"I don't want to go to Daigon Alley." Sylvia played with her food before setting the fork down with an angry clink. "May I be excused?"

"Yes, I'll leave tomorrow at 9 if you change your mind."

"Okay." Sylvia went upstairs and Maeve gave Athena a thoughtful look.

"She's upset still about what happened." Maeve spoke up.

"I know, I hope she gets better soon." Athena picked up the plates and piled them up. "I've seen this before. Your mother was just a bit worse...no I take that back, they are about equal except your mother dealt with it in a different way. I don't know which one was worse." Athena sighed and Maeve placed her hand on the older lady's hand.

"It's hard watching her waste away like that, I was angry at you for not letting me see her but now I understand. No matter what I do, it just doesn't help." Maeve felt tears in her eyes and wiped them away before they fell down her cheeks.

"Yes, I hate feeling useless like this but maybe seeing a few classmates might cheer her up."

"Maybe." Maeve replied running her right hand through her mane of thick, curly hair. Her eyes became light and glittered cheerfully. "I think that I'll write George, he's had a huge crush on Sylvia and maybe I can get her a new boy to think about." Athena chuckled lightly.

"Matchmaker, be careful."

"I will." Maeve's cheeks were full and dimpled at the corners of her smile. Athena remembered Maeve when she just turned four, she looked just like a cherub. It must have haunted her mother because later that year, she died. They told her it was because of her curse but Athena knew that she just gave up living and that killed her. "I'm off to bed." Maeve gave Athena a kiss on the brow and bounded up the stairs. Athena bewitched the dishes and brush then headed upstairs for bed.

The rest of the summer for Maeve was working and coming home to find Sylvia sitting on that window and staring outside. She would only briefly glance and Maeve then back to window. Sometimes it made Maeve so angry she wanted to shake her, shake some sense into Sylvia. She couldn't understand why her sister could be so torn up about one person. She would stare angrily at her sister for a long time, then finish up her report. It was the night before the new term that Sylvia finally spoke about what happened.

"Maeve, I fell in love with Remus Lupin." Maeve coughed in shock.

"What?!"

"You heard me." Sylvia said while lighting a cigarette.

"I thought it was someone like Cedric Diggory, at least someone at our school." Maeve breathed in deep.

"Is that why you had that...over the summer?" Maeve

"Yeah." She nodded. "I tried to get better myself. I wrote him a letter." She paused to wipe away some tears, the hurt still deep in her eyes. "It got sent back." Maeve got up and sat beside her sister, placing an arm around her shoulders.

"I'm sorry I didn't know." Maeve sighed. "I just didn't know what to make of it all."

"I don't know why or how I even fell in love. I just did." Sylvia brushed away the tears that fell down her cheeks.

"It'll be alright. Things like this work out for the best in the end. You'll see." Sylvia nodded.

"I think I'm better now. I wanted to tell someone." Sylvia pulled out a full bottle of firewhiskey and two shot glasses. She filled the glasses with a steady hand. "To Maeve McGonagall, the best sister a girl could ask for." She raised her glass.

"To Sylvia Black, the strongest woman I've ever met." Sylvia and Maeve gulped down the shot, their cheeks red with the heat from the drink. "Oh, that is strong!" Maeve exclaimed while wiping away tears in her eyes.

"Yes, this bottle is a vintage." Sylvia poured two more shots. "Tonks snuck it out but I nicked it from her. She assumed her mother found it and put it back." Sylvia giggled.

"You really want to drink, you have school tomorrow."

"And you have work."

"Right. Well, we're young. And we'll learn from our mistakes." Maeve picked up the glass. "What's this one for?" Sylvia lifted her chin in thought.

"Our future of course!" They drank it quickly and Maeve poured another. Soon, they both laughed over a stupid story smoking cigarettes and eating Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans.

"Once I gave Oliver a boogey one saying it was apple." Maeve stopped to giggle. "And I asked him what it tasted like...and he...and he said it was delicious and wanted another!"

"You're kidding!"

"No!" They both giggled hysterically and Sylvia poured another shot but spilt most of it on the table.

Sylvia woke up to Athena shaking her.

"Why is the world shaking?" She asked groggily.

"Come on, you'll be late if you don't get out now." Sylvia sighed and rubbed her eyes.

"It's too bight out." She complained grabbing a pair of sunglasses and rolled out of bed. She stumbled to the bathroom and turned on the water. She stared at her hands and when the world couldn't stop spinning, she fell to her knees and vomited into the toilet. Feeling a little less sick, she turned off the water and slowly took off the clothes with a sour smell of sweat and firewhiskey. Standing the shower, she sluggishly turned on the cold water awakening her senses slightly. After she showered, she changed into some fresh clothes and looked over her sister. She found an empty bottle of firewhiskey on the ground and chucked into the waste bin. She also found a dried up puddle of vomit near Maeve's bed which caused Sylvia to rush back into the bathroom and hurl into the toilet again. After she finished, she rinsed her face off and headed downstairs. Once Athena saw her, she sighed.

"Andromeda wrote and she's going to be at King Cross to see you off." Athena told her while placing a plate of pancakes on the table and taking a seat next to her. "So you two girls got drunk last night."

"Yes, I know it's wrong but somehow I feel loads better. Like I'm finally living." Sylvia smiled which startled Athena. Athena gave Sylvia a warm smile.

"I'm glad, you'll have a wonderful time at Hogwarts." Sylvia nodded and pushed her trolley to the platform 9 and 3/4.

"Hello!" Andromeda greeted them kindly. "My eyes! Look at that hair! Sylvia, did you have a fun time? I must say, it was rather lonely without you for a month." Andromeda hugged her.

"Yes, I had a splendid time."

"I didn't see you at the Quidditch World Cup." Tonks interrupted also getting a hug from Sylvia.

"Oh, I decided to stay at home with Maeve." Sylvia ran a hand through her hair.

"Where is she?" Sylvia's smile grew.

"Sick." She replied and Athena gave her a sharp look. "Trains about to leave, I must get going. It was great seeing you all again!" Sylvia exclaimed giving a round of kisses and leaving through the barrier.

She sighed loudly and boarded the train. She found Lee and the twins.

"Hello, mind if I join you?" She asked and Lee responded first.

"Sure. How was your summer?" She bit her lip and took a seat next to him.

"Interesting. Yours?"

"Great." Lee noticed something about her other than her hair. She didn't have that fierce beauty anymore. It melted into a softer beauty, of a woman instead of a girl. Her harsh stony eyes looked like a skilled hand sanded them into smooth marble that caught your breath when you gazed into them.

"How's Maeve?" Fred asked.

"Doing good, got a job at the Ministry."

"Good for her."

"Except I think she works with Percy." Fred and George grimaced.

"We feel sorry for her now."

"I have a terrible headache. I don't think I can last the feast."

"I think I've got some peppermint juice in my trunk." Lee offered.

"No, I just need sleep."

"Oh." George and Fred looked like they were about to say something but Lee beat them to it. "I like your hair." Lee blurted out and Sylvia's fingers touched her hair.

"Yes, I forgot I let Maeve cut it. Thanks Lee." Shortly, they arrived to Hogwarts, Sylvia sighed and left the boys to join the Ravenclaw table in the Great Hall. She greeted a few of her friends and took a seat shortly. Sylvia paid little attention to what was going on, the excitement of the tournament hardly stirred her. She wasn't old enough to enter nor did she care to meet the other wizzarding schools, more people to point at her and whisper. Her headache got worse and she decided no to have any of the feast. Once out of the hall, she ran into Snape.

"Where are you going, Black?" He spat at her angrily.

"To the Ravenclaw Tower." She replied.

"I bet you're happy your father slipped through my fingers." He snarled at her and Sylvia took a step back. Not wanting anymore enemies, she bit back what she was going to say.

"I'll see you in Potions, Professor Snape." She nodded and walked off quickly but something about him was different. She turned her head around and gave a last glance at Snape. Once she made it to the Ravenclaw Tower, she pulled out a pack of cigarettes from her back pocket. She pulled out one and lit it. With it hanging loosely from her mouth, she opened the window and watched the rain. She wished that she could disappear and reappear with Sirius. Maybe they can forget magic and become muggles, leave everything behind. She closed her eyes and knew that it could never happen, too much has been done to leave now. When she heard distant talking in the common room, she threw her cigarette out the window and slid into bed. She just pulled her hangings shut when the girls came in giggling.

"Oh, she's asleep." One said.

"I suppose we're in for another year like last."

"I'm surprised she didn't go mental, she came close."

"At least she doesn't talk to us much."

"I wonder what the boys see in her. It's not like she's the cleverest girl in school."

"She's not even that pretty." Sylvia's jaw was clenched so tight her teeth hurt.

"Did you see her hair, talk about losing a war. If I showed up to Hogwarts like that, I'd at least wear a paper bag."

"I can't stand her. I'm glad we have two years left."

"Did you hear that Maeve is her sister?"

"Oh, I guess she got the personality. I pity Sylvia though, it must be rough to have a prettier, smarter sister. She's like the runt of the clan."

"Too bad they didn't kill her when she was born." Sylvia felt tears fall down her cheeks, she didn't know why she allowed their words to affect her so much.

"Don't talk like that."

"It's true, they could have saved us all the grief."

"It's not nice to talk like that out loud. Most the stuff I think of her I don't say."

"Why? Afraid someone might hear?"

"I guess so. She always looks like she knows exactly what you're thinking. I wonder if she's a legilimen."

"I can't stand her. Really, I can't." Sylvia felt the urge to throw her hangings aside and reveal that she could everything they said but decided to remain quiet. She listened to their conversation and decided that they were terrible human beings and she hated them all. The next months weren't that good either, it seemed like the only people she could stand was Lee, George, Fred, Cho, Roger, and Harry Potter. She always waved to Harry in the hall and when his name was spit out from the goblet, she congratulated him. He awkwardly smiled back.

"Thanks."

"Well, I really want you to win. I can't stand Cedric, his father didn't like the idea of him going with me. Thought he was better than me, so I ended up dumping Cedric and I still carry sore feelings." She explained to him and Harry listened thoughtfully. She hadn't really talked to anyone in a long time and poor Harry suffered the consequences. "Anyway, I do hope you win."

"Thanks." He said again. She grinned at him and gave a wink.

"No problem."

"I hate that Support Cedric Badges!" She exclaimed as some Slytherins walked by wearing them. "I can't believe them."

"It doesn't bother me much."

"Well it bothers me a lot. The goblet chose you for a reason, it's not like Cedric doesn't need anything to fuel his fat head."

"I'm supposed to meet Hermione." Harry said awkwardly.

"Oh, Hermione is that girl that hangs around you, right?"

"Yes."

"Someone told me you two were dating."

"We aren't."

"I don't believe that rubbish anyway." She gave him one last smile. "Good-bye Harry."

"Bye Sylvia." He waved and headed off. She watched him leave and sought out the twins. She couldn't find them so she walked the familiar path to that same grassy spot where Remus sat with her a year ago. She sighed and pulled out a cigarette and lit it. She threw herself back on the grass and watched the sky fade into the night. She suddenly wanted Lupin there, not as a lover but as a friend, someone she could really talk to. She kept so many secrets she wanted to tell them all to Lupin and maybe her head could be clear and she could sleep with a light head. The night where she overheard the girls proved that she could trust only a few people. She ripped up some grass and threw it in the air. Her green confetti was picked up and carried by the wind. She frowned at the half-moon, like the sky smiled at her. She wondered if Lupin thought of her often, if he even really cared about her. She shook the thought of her head, of course Lupin cared for her but he didn't love her. She stood up and went back to the castle, keeping her feelings tucked in so deep that she wondered if she was human at all.

Sylvia couldn't help rolling her eyes at someone that whispered 'Yule Ball.' It was the talk of everyone and she wanted to escape it all. Boys kept asking her to it and she would turn them down quickly. Some from the other schools but she could care less about them. George walked up to her and asked her to the ball but Sylvia smiled kindly at him. She agreed to it and after he left she had a curious feeling of warmth in her body. She remembered her dress robes that Athena bought her and Sylvia hoped they still fit, George told her to meet him in the Great Hall. She put on the robes and ignored the squeals of the girls around her in their dormitory. She held up her arms and realized that she lost a lot of weight since the start of school. She still liked the feeling of the misty gray silk material of her dress robes. She sighed softly.

"What to do." She muttered while scooping up her hair.

"Hey, Sylvia!" Cho exclaimed as entered the dormitory.

"Hey Cho." Sylvia smiled.

"You look stunning!"

"Same to you." Sylvia's smile faded. "I don't know what to do with my hair."

"Oh, I can pull it up in a French twist."

"That would be great."

"Who are you going with?" Cho asked while pulling up Sylvia's hair.

"George Weasley."

"I'm going with Cedric Diggory."

"Cedric, fun." Sylvia rolled her eyes.

"What was that all about?" Cho asked with a giggle.

"We went together a few years ago. His father is the main reason that we broke up."

"His father?"

"I'm Sylvia Black, remember? Keep your children and your dogs locked up when I'm near." She sighed at the end of it.

"I don't believe all that stuff. Most people don't."

"Not Amos Diggory."

"I'm done." Cho said and Sylvia pulled out a mirror and looked at her hair.

"Wonderful!" She hugged Cho. "Thank you. I have to go and meet George."

"I have to meet Cedric in ten minutes." Sylvia left and looked at the large crowd. It wouldn't be hard to spot any Weasley with their flaming red hair. But she ran into Fred three times and Ron twice. She finally found George a few minutes before they opened the Great Hall up.

"You look great!" George exclaimed. "Your robes are the same color as your eyes."

"Oh!" Sylvia blushed. "Athena picked them out for me." They took a table with Fred and Angelina.

"Hello Sylvia!" Angelina greeted.

"Hello Angelina!" Sylvia smiled at her. George grinned at Sylvia the whole time, dazed by the fact that she agreed to go with him. Once the Weird Sisters took stage, Sylvia took hold of George's hands and lead him to the dance floor. George bashfully danced with her. His cheeks turned to the color of his hair when Sylvia rested her head on his chest. She felt guilty the whole time because she could only think of Remus Lupin and what it would be like if he was with her instead. She felt even more terrible because she knew that George fancied her. After a few more songs, she pointed to the door.

"I want to go on a walk." She said into his ear.

"Ok." George followed her and they found a private area to sit. She looked up at the moon, it was nearly full now. George stared at her and couldn't make anything of her expression. Her eyes were distant and her face full of no emotion. Sylvia noticed George staring at her and smiled at him. He blushed and looked down. He saw her hand and placed his on hers. He looked up and Sylvia still had that same smile. It faded slightly and she leaned in to him. She placed her lips on his. George's eyes went wide in shock but it wore off soon and he kissed her back. Once their kissed ended George was left in a daze and didn't see the disappointment in Sylvia's eyes. She quickly masked her emotion and stood up.

"I'm really sleepy." She lied.

"Oh, right...I need to see Fred about something." George muttered and Sylvia nodded.

"I am going to bed." George looked like he was about to give Sylvia a kiss but she quickly waved. "Good night."

"Night." She didn't go to bed but wandered Hogwarts. She liked to walk around Hogwarts when it was empty. She was close enough to the Great Hall to hear the distant echo of the Weird Sisters. She took a seat near a large window and studied the sky. Her back started aching and she realized that the music was gone. She got up and stretched. She heard a foot step and spun around quickly.

"Professor Snape!" She gasped.

"Rather late for you to be out." He sneered.

"Well, I lost track of time. I was looking at the stars." Snape raised an eyebrow.

"Really?" Snape asked.

"Yes, I'm sorry. I'll go now."

"No!" Snape stepped in her path. "Come with me now." Sylvia was about to question him but he took her elbow and pulled her along. He threw her into an empty classroom.

"What is this all about?" She asked with fear creeping in her voice. Snape pulled out his wand and pointed it at her.

"Impedimenta!" He said firmly. "Finally, I've got you." He tucked away his wand and closed the door. "I've been watching you for six years." Sylvia's eyes were full of fear. "And I've wanted you so bad." He forced his lips on hers, his greasy nose rubbing on hers. His hand found the bottom of her dress robes and he pulled them up so his other hand could reach in. Sylvia tried hard to fight the curse but everything her mind tried to do wouldn't happen. His hand on her made her sick. She tried to turn her head away but nothing worked. One of his hand was on her stomach and it slid down to her panties. His fingers played with the waistband before slipping in. She made a throaty cry when she felt his fingers touch her center. Her breathing became erratic and her eyes terrified of what would happen next. Her will to flee became stronger and she felt her toe move in her shoe. Snape still continued his molestation without any clue that Sylvia was beginning to gain control of her toes. His other hand traveled up to her chest where it roamed on the soft, vulnerable skin. Sylvia clenched her fist tightly and tears began falling down her cheek.

"So good." Snape murmured as he sucked on her neck.

"Severus?" It was the worried voice of Professor McGonagall. Sylvia thanked the heavens for her great-aunt.

"Make any noise and I'll kill you." Snape whispered in her ear.

"Severus? Is that you?" Severus quickly regained his composure.

"Yes?" He asked impatiently.

"Oh, so you are patrolling these corridors. Find anyone yet?" Sylvia got her right leg back and began limping to the exit on the other side of her room but with only her right hand helping, it was taking a long time.

"No."

"Good, I was worried some students were still wandering around." Sylvia knocked over an empty bird cage. Her heart cried out inside her chest. "What was that?"

"Found a boggart."

"Need any help?" Sylvia continued for the door and luckily she got control of most of her left leg.

"No I can manage." Sylvia had her hand on the door knob and tried to turn it but her wrist was still under the curse.

"Right. Good night Severus." She thought her heart was going to explode at the rate it was beating. Her hand shook but somehow she managed to open the door and limped out of it.

"Good night." Snape went back in the classroom and saw that Sylvia was gone. His eyes flared furiously as he stormed out of the room searching for her.

Sylvia limped as fast as she could, she could feel more control over her left leg. She stopped and realized that in order to get back into the Ravenclaw Tower, it meant climbing up stairs. She could barely run, tears of defeat brimmed in her eyes as she stood at the bottom of the stair case. She had no doubt in her mind that Snape would surely kill her when he found her. She threw herself on the stairs and crawled up them, her nails digging deep into the stairs, breaking her nails. She ignored the pain in her fingertips and the blood that dripped from them. Soon she reached it and whispered the password while struggling to stand. The painting opened and Sylvia just crawled in. She heard the fast footsteps of Snape but sighed in relief as her vision turned black.

**Why do you insist on running**

**When your back's against the wall**

**You've been chased into this corner**

**And I know you're bound to fall**

**Give in**

**Can't you see I beat you now**

**Give in**

**There's no escaping anyhow**

**But you try all in vain**

**Turn around, back again**

**Can't you see this is me**

**On the move**

**I got to get to you**

A/N: Bet you saw this coming...the lyrics are Snape's thoughts of Sylvia.


	3. I Can't Live Without You

Sylvia opened her eyes and closed them quickly. Her vision was blurry and she felt hollow inside. She opened her eyes again and concentrated on her curtains. When did she get in her bed? How did she get in her bed? She tried pushing herself to sit up but fell back down immediately. She sighed and wondered how she got herself into these situations.  
"She's awake." She heard some girl whisper. She squinted her eyes as candle light entered behind a newly drawn curtain. She stared into the eyes of a very worried Professor McGonagall.  
"I'm so relieved." Sylvia just continued to stare instead of answer. Professor McGonagall sat beside her and stroked her cheek. "We thought you wouldn't ever wake up. You've been sleeping for two days straight." Sylvia bit her lip and tried to hold back her tears as she recalled the night of the Yule Ball. "I'm so sorry my dear, I know how hard it is. I watched my sister-in-law you know." Sylvia realized that McGonagall was speaking about the curse of the siren. She wiped away her tears.  
"I think I'm better now." Sylvia's voice sounded so hoarse that she didn't even recognize it.  
"You take all the time you need." McGonagall stood back up. She handed Sylvia some chocolate. "Madam Pomfrey said this will help you regain some strength, although it's not a cure doesn't mean we're not looking for one." Sylvia nodded and ate it. She waited until Professor McGonagall left before she sat up in her bed and looked around. She sighed as she noticed that all the other girls were gone, their beds too. They must have moved them to give her room so she could die alone. Sylvia felt tears rise in her eyes again but she angrily wiped them away as she threw her trunk on her bed. She began filling her trunk with all her things. She slammed her trunk on the ground and wondered how she would ever get out of Hogwarts unnoticed. She sighed and sought out Cho Chang.  
"Cho?" She asked.  
"Sylvia?!" Cho immediately sprung up and hugged her. "It's great to see you about. We were really worried"  
"Yes, I need to borrow your broom." Cho suspiciously looked at her.  
"What? Why do you need it?" She asked.  
"I, you see, I need to visit my Aunt, just a quick visit to get some medicine."  
"But Madam Pompfrey-"  
"She ran out and it's just a quick visit. You're broom will be back soon. It's not that far."  
"Why doesn't she come here?"  
"Cho, please." Cho bit her lip and gave in.  
"Fine. It's no problem, there's no Quidditch, remember?" Cho handed her broom to Sylvia. Sylvia smiled and sighed.  
"Thank you so much"  
"I've got to give something to Cedric. I'll see you later." Cho left and Sylvia ran into her dormitory. She tied her trunk on Cho's broom. She opened the window and stood on the sill and stared at the night sky. She had no idea where she was going to go but anywhere besides Hogwarts seemed the best option. She couldn't go home to Andromeda and Ted, they would force her to go back. Maeve would question too much and she couldn't handle the answers. Aunt Athena would contact Professor McGonagall and she would be forced to return. She wanted her father but she had no idea where he was. She decided to go avoid London and Daigon Alley where she would be easily spotted. She found a rundown hotel on the outskirts of London that an old couple kept running for poor slobs like herself. She checked in easily enough with muggle money she received long ago from Uncle Ted but they hassled her about her age she told them her home life was a wreck and needed some time to sort out her issues. They accepted the reason enough and gave her a small meal. She went to her room and sat on her bed and began to weep into the musty smelling pillow, feeling like the most lonely person on the planet. 

Remus Lupin received an owl about Sylvia's disappearance. Professor McGonagall knew of the special relationship between them but did not know the extent of the relationship. Once Remus read the letter, he began writing one to Sirius. He regretted how he handled the situation that happened at the end of last year's term. He knew he should have talked to her and somehow explained his lack of feelings for her. Or lie about the lack of feelings he had for her, he longed to see her face and hear her voice that it nearly ate him up inside. He knew that he must maintain his stance but his reasoning for keeping her away faltered and he questioned why he wasn't with her now. He pulled on an old, shaggy coat and headed for the door as he decided to go for a walk. Maybe he would find her on his walk and he could make everything ok again. He could end her pain and he could be relieved of his own pain. Once he opened the door, an old face greeted him sadly.  
"I already received a letter from McGonagall." Remus nodded and moved aside to allow his visitor in.  
"I just owled you." Remus told him while following him into the kitchen.  
"I shouldn't be here. I should be out there, searching for her-"  
"No, you'll get caught! I'm surprised you didn't get caught coming here." Remus closed the blinds and curtains in the kitchen.  
"She needs me! Don't you see it! The more I think about it, the more worried I am! I can't take this Moony!" Remus sighed and filled up a kettle.  
"I know, we all worry about her." Remus placed the kettle on the stove and sat at the table. "Sirius, you can't do anything yet. Not until your name is cleared. How do you think she'll feel if you were back in Azkaban. She would be devastated"  
"Really?" Sirius perked up at the idea. "Does she think of me?"  
_I never knew Sirius but I hate him. Can you hate someone you don't know?  
_"Of course"  
"Does she hate me?" Remus shot him a careful look like Sirius just read his mind.  
"No, she could never hate you. You're her family. That's an unbreakable bond." Remus checked the water to see if it started to bubble.  
"Yes, I am her family, just like my brother and my parents, right"  
"That's different, you know it"  
"I guess I worry so much that I think I'm going to go crazy." Sirius paced around his kitchen.  
"It's called being a parent." Remus checked the water again.  
"I didn't know it would bring so much responsibility. I care about her so much. If anything happened, I think I'd die Remus." Sirius sighed and sat at the table. "I just know I'd die. I've never felt this way about someone before but when I held her," He opened his arms and held the air like he held her for the first time. "I fell in love. She's the best thing that came out of my life and she's missing." Sirius covered his eyes with both of his hands. Remus placed a hand on his shoulder and heard Sirius sniffle softly. "I can't take losing her." Remus removed his hand and the reason he couldn't be with Sylvia was instantly reaffirmed.  
"Yes, we can't lose her." Another owl flew into his window and Remus took the letter and read it slowly.  
"What is it, old friend?" Sirius asked. Remus sighed and rubbed his eyes.  
"She...we must find her soon."  
"Yes, we already covered that."  
"No, it's worse." Remus stood up and poured some water in a tea cup. He placed a tea bag in it and handed the cup to Sirius. "Her sister is dying."  
"Sister?" Remus placed the letter on the table.  
"I must find her. You must go, the last thing she needs is to see her father again." Remus put on his coat.  
"You will find her and take care of her, right?" Sirius asked with a full face of concern for his daughter.  
"Yes, I will. I promise."

Sylvia had been walking for an hour at a very slow pace. She found a bench and took a seat while lazily sucking on a crumpled cigarette. She was slowly running out of muggle money and knew that the minute she stepped onto Gringotts she would be sent back to Hogwarts. She could only afford one more night and then she would have to leave the crummy hotel and the couple that operated it. She knew if she asked for a few more nights, they would gladly let her but their financial state was apparently in trouble so she decided not to burden them further. She stretched out her arms and inhaled her cigarette deeply and held it in for a few longer seconds.  
"You really should quit." A familiar voice said near her. She exhaled the smoke at once.  
"I see that you found me. Come to take me back?" She asked, her eyes watched him like a hawk as he sat next to her.  
"Not to Hogwarts, not yet. We must return to your hotel and collect your things."  
"Then where am I going?"  
"You'll see."  
"And I suppose you think you can come here and take me away!" She jumped up from her seat.  
"Sylvia, you have to trust me."  
"I do trust you." Remus stared at her and knew she meant something deeper than that.  
"Right, right. It's getting late, shall we go." Sylvia nodded and lead him back to the hotel. She did not speak again until she finished packing and followed Remus to his house.  
"What is this place?" She asked.  
"My house. I'll make you a cup of tea, then I'll send an owl to McGonagall." He held the door for her. Remus did exactly what he told her while she walked around and looked at his house. She studied the pictures on the walls and on stands. He had few pictures of his childhood and fewer of his days at Hogwarts. She stopped and stared at the photo of four men, a much younger Remus, a man bearing likeness to Harry Potter, a man she did not recognize, and a man bearing a strong resemblance of her. She picked up the photo and stared at the man. She did not see any photos of him, she caught glimpses of the ones in the Daily Prophet. But those weren't real photos of him, just a photo of an old, filthy man that hardly looked related. Nothing like this picture she held of him. She dropped the photo when Remus entered the room.  
"I just sent the owl. I'll bring out the tea."  
"No, I'll go in there." She followed him to the kitchen and took a seat in the same chair Sirius sat in hours ago.  
"Listen, I know I haven't been there much for you. I'm sorry but I'm here for you now." Remus sat on another chair. "I do care for you."  
"Right." Sylvia took a sip from her cup and nearly threw it on Remus when Professor McGonagall apparated in the kitchen.  
"Oh thank heavens!" She exclaimed taking Sylvia into a full embrace. "You ought to-" She started to scold Sylvia but a wave of guilt took over her body and she nearly began crying. "-come with me now."  
"Ok." Sylvia nodded, very confused.  
"I'd like to come, too." Remus stood up and McGonagall nodded.  
"Yes, yes, this way." McGonagall lead them to a muggle car which Sylvia knew immediately was enchanted. They arrived at Athena's house within seconds. McGonagall opened the door and locked it behind them. Sylvia took off her coat and hung it in the closet.  
"So what is it? Why am I here?" She asked noticing McGonagall could not even look her in the eyes, she had tears falling from them.  
"I am so sorry." Her face contorted in pain.  
"I don't understand, someone please tell me. What is going?" Sylvia looked between McGonagall and Remus, Remus looked away.  
"Sylvia, I thought I heard your voice." Athena appeared at the top of the stairs. Sylvia turned around and looked at the old woman.  
"Aunt Athena." She sounded relieved to see her. Athena smiled at the young girl.  
"Come, someone needs to see you now." Athena looked beyond and gave both Remus and McGonagall a nod as Sylvia climbed the stairs. She led the girl down the hallway into the bedroom she had shared with Maeve over the summer. Athena opened the door slowly and Sylvia noticed that the bedroom was unusually dark, the curtains were not drawn and no candle lit the once bright room. She breathed in and the familiar scent of the room was replaced by the musty smell you find in basements or attics. She looked in the bed and did not immediately recognize the girl. The girl feebly smiled at Sylvia.  
"Hello Sylvia." She smiled. Sylvia stared at her.  
"Hello Maeve." She did not smile, just stared at her for a few seconds. She jumped slightly when she head the door click shut. She spun around and saw that Athena had left. "I don't understand what's going on, no one will tell me what's going on." Sylvia dropped beside the bed and clutched the hand that lay beside Maeve's body. She took her hand and rubbed it against her cheek with her eyes squeezed tightly shut. "Oh Maeve, you won't believe how disastrous my life has become. I'm so glad to see you now." Maeve withdrew her hand from Sylvia's reach.  
"Sylvia, I'm dying." Maeve said bluntly and Sylvia's eyes flew open.  
"What?" Sylvia fell back from her bed and stared up at Maeve from the floor.  
"You heard me." Maeve stared at the footboard of her bed.  
"You can't be dying, we've only found each other. You can't leave me." Sylvia's voice shook in terror. "No, we can go to St. Mungo's, the mediwitches can help." Sylvia stood up.  
"No, it's nothing they can fix."  
"We can do something." Sylvia sat beside her.  
"NO!" Maeve turned her head away. "I did this to myself."  
"What?!"  
"While you were at Hogwarts, I took your curse."  
"You can't take a curse, it's-"  
"Yes you can. I read it in a book, the curse of the siren does pass on to one daughter and if she succeeds in wedding him once she meets him, she will live as long as he does."  
"We'll get Oliver, I know he loves you-"  
"You're not listening to me." Sylvia's open mouth shut and she bit her lip. "You were the daughter that it passed on to, but since you are all my blood and I am all your blood, I took the curse from you but with a penalty." She choked on her last word and exhaled deeply to regain her composure. "I am sure to die."  
"Why would you do this? My life is not worth it. I am a broken person and you shouldn't have done this!" Sylvia yelled.  
"I did it because you have so much more to your life than what you think. I've lived a wonderful life, surrounded by love and friends and beautiful memories. I've been the selfish twin and now it's time for you to really live."  
"I can't live without you!"  
"Yes you can. You've lived without me before!"  
"I'm not really living." Sylvia turned around. "I don't know why anyone would do this."  
"I did this because I love you. You're my sister. You must go now. I'm very tired and I need to sleep."  
"I love you too, Maeve." Sylvia held back tears and walked over to kiss the brow of her sister. She quickly left the room and shut the door behind her. She leaned against the door and felt a familiar pang in her heart. She sat on the top of the stairs and thought for a moment. She wiped her cheeks with the back of her shirt sleeve. Remus left the kitchen and his eyes locked on to hers. She looked down and listened to his footsteps up the stairs. He took a seat next to her and sighed.  
"You knew all along?" She asked. He nodded and rubbed his eyes.  
"I wanted to tell you right away but in my letter were specific instructions."  
"And those were?"  
"To find you and stay with you." Sylvia nodded and ran a quick hand through her hair to straighten it out. "I'm terribly sorry."  
"I know. She thinks she can do this and everything in my life will turn out fine because I have more time but it won't."  
"Why not?" He asked and she faced him.  
"I don't have you." He looked away.  
"I told you before-"  
"I don't care. My heart doesn't lie." He looked deep in her eyes and nodded.  
"Your heart may not lie but what about mine?"  
"What about yours?" Remus stood up and walked down the stairs.  
"We mustn't talk about these things."  
"Why not?" He turned around.  
"Don't you realize how wrong this is? I cou-"  
"I don't care. You can tell me a million times how wrong it is, but it will always feel right to me." She jumped up and kissed him firmly on the lips. She closed her eyes and let her lips linger a few seconds before she moved her head back. "This feels right." She whispered and this time she felt Remus lean in and kiss her. Remus took hold of the base of her head and rubbed his thumbs along the sides of her cheeks and just by kissing her, he felt the burning passion for her ignite inside. His heart felt lighter and his whole body yearned for her more than ever. He felt her hands travel along his sides and he trembled with the strongest emotions he held inside. He ended the kiss and took a few deep breaths.  
"Sylvia, I hope you don't mind sleeping in the downstairs guest room." Aunt Athena said from the doorway. "We left your things in there."  
"I don't mind at all." Sylvia headed down the stairs.  
"Yes, Remus, will you also be staying the night?" Sylvia turned around to see his answer from the bottom of the stairs.  
"I made a promise I would." He replied staring right in Sylvia's eyes as he descended the stairs. Aunt Athena nodded.  
"The other guest room is down the hall, Sylvia will show you to it." Athena turned back to Sylvia. "Your Aunt Minerva left already, dear."  
"Right, should I stay by her."  
"Don't worry dear, I'm sleeping in your old bed. You should try and rest." Athena stroked her cheek. "It's all you can do." Athena climbed the stairs.  
"Well, your room is here." Sylvia walked down a barely lit hallway. She opened the door and allowed Remus to enter.  
"Thank yo-" She cut him off with a very hungry kiss. Remus moved his head away and felt her kisses move to his neck. He breathed in the scent of her hair and wrapped his arms around her, taking her into a tight embrace. He exhaled deeply as he heard her whimper.  
"Why me?" Remus loosened her grip on her and lay her on his bed. Her hair matted against her wet cheeks. "Why, why does this stuff happen to me? What did I ever do"  
"I know, I know." He pulled her hair behind her ears.  
"No, you don't even know the half of it. I just want to forget it all." She wiped her cheeks with the back of her hands. "All I want to know now, is you." She grabbed his shirt and pulled him toward her.

She sat on the window sill and sighed loudly.  
"Mind if I smoke?" She turned her head to the girl lying in the bed.  
"If you want to." She opened the door and shivered.  
"It's cold outside."  
"What are you going to do when I die?"  
"I dunno." She took a deep inhale of her cigarette. "Quit smoking, see my father."  
"And then?"  
"Marry, children, not much to it."  
"Right."  
"Why are you doing this to yourself?"  
"I told you before."  
"It's not good enough, I'm not good enough."  
"You've always been good."  
"I wish I could believe it. This is all a bad dream and I'll wake up soon. I'll be back at Hogwarts, you'll still be working at the Ministry. We won't have to deal with this." She lit another cigarette.  
"You really should quit."  
"I told you, this is all a dream, a horrible nightmare." The hand that held the cigarette shook violently. She stood up and smashed the rest of the cigarette in the ash tray.  
"Stay with me tonight, please." She nodded and closed the window and curtain. She climbed in bed and held the girl close, hoping that if she never let go, she would stay with her forever.

Sylvia woke up in the morning and yawned loudly. She rolled over and rested her hand on the mass of curly hair, playing with a tendril. She released the tendril and jumped into a sitting position, using the headboard as support. She covered her mouth with one hand as she used the other hand to pull the facedown girl toward her. She gasped at how limp and cold the girl was. She moved to her knees and pulled the girl on her back. Her face contorted with pain as hot tears fell down her cheeks. She clutched the girls shoulder and began to shake the girl as hard as she could. Loud wails filled the room and echoed in her mind but she did not stop. She kept shaking the girl as hard as she could, her own tears wetting the girl's face. She didn't stop when the door nearly flew off it's hinges, she didn't stop when a pair of strong arms pulled her away from the cold body. Her wails turned into loud, angry screams, she tried to pry the arms from her waist. She clawed at the floor to return to the girl but the arms were strong.  
"Sylvia, let her go." The voice of Remusreverberated in her ear. Sylvia stopped her screams and her bodywent limpin his arms. She sobbed desperately in his chest as he picked her up in a fireman's carry. He carried her out of the room into his vacant bed and lay her down. Sylvia sobbed loudly in his pillow until she fell asleep.

Sylvia awoke to the muffled voice of an angry voice of Remus.  
"How could you let her stay in her bed last night?!" He yelled. "Do you know what damage you caused her?! Do you know what kind of pain you caused her?!"  
"We didn't know she was there Remus, please, stop yelling." McGonagall was weeping through her words. Sylvia opened the window and climbed out of it. She began to ran to an old, playground that no one ever visited. She sat on a swing and leaned on it's rusted chains. She couldn't help but cry some more. She watched her tears fall to the ground.  
"They'll be worried." She looked up and a man sat on the swing at the other end of the set.  
"I don't care." She replied looking away.  
"I care." She turned back at the swing but the man had vanished. She stood up and looked around. She sighed and walked slowly back to the house but could not bring herself to enter it. Athena came out from the front door and shut it, she walked up to Sylvia.  
"I couldn't bring myself to go back into your mother's house after she died." Athena sighed. "Loss is a hard thing to deal with. I've lost so much but I'm never prepared for it. You can't prepare for it."  
"Why are you telling me this?"  
"You've got your father still, Minerva and myself, and you'll always have Remus. We love you, she loves you, and-"  
"I can't stay here."  
"I know, Remus insisted to take you. You'll be at the funeral?"  
"I'll try." Sylvia watched Athena return inside the house, Remus walked out of the door after a few seconds. He watched her closely as he walked up to her. He stopped a foot away from her.

"Ready?" He asked and she nodded.

She tugged at her black dress and smoothed it out. She hated the weather but could do nothing about it. She stared at her reflection and suddenly decided she couldn't go through with it. She hurried to the bathroom and locked herself in. She sat on the toilet and cried in her hands "Sylvia?" Remus called. "Sylvia are you ready?"  
"I'm not going!" Sylvia yelled back.  
"Are you sure?"  
"Positive."  
"Ok, I'll see you later. Please eat some food." She sighed and wiped her tears. She stared in the bathroom mirror at herself. She rinsed her face with water and dried it with a towel. She sighed again once she heard the door close and she knew Remus left. He had been kind and supportive, she knew he wouldn't force her to do anything, except eat. He had been hard on her about eating, she hadn't stopped smoking but she gave up drinking. She unlocked the door and opened it slowly. She walked to the window and stared at the sky. The clouds were dark and angry. She rubbed her eyes and cursed under her breath. She walked downstairs and stared out of the backdoor. She bit her lip and her eyes brimmed with fresh tears. She wiped them away before they could fall and removed her fancy black shoes. She opened the door and the sky began to fall down on her as she ran through the streets.  
She hadn't been thinking straight, she still could have called a cab or used Cho's broom but she thought it was best to run there. Perhaps she would miss most of the service, that was the only part about today she couldn't bear. She couldn't bear the idea of people talking about how wonderful Maeve was, after all, it was her fault that she's dead. She sorted through her thoughts as she ran to the graveyard. She stopped to catch her breath at the gate. She briskly walked up a hill and spotted a group of people in black cloaks holding umbrellas and gathered around a large hole in the ground where a few men were lowering a beautiful coffin in it. Sylvia walked up to a tree and threw her back on it. She felt the bark scratch at her back as she lowered her body to sit on the wet grass. She rested her head on her knees as she watched from far away. She watched as one boy in a suit moved from the protection of the umbrella, he picked up some wet dirt and threw it on the coffin. He turned around and headed to a black car waiting patiently on the curb. Sylvia recognized him immediately.  
"Wood." She whispered. She watched as all the people in cloaks dropped a flower on the coffin. Athena was the last person standing, she did not move until Dumbledore came back, he set a hand on her shoulder and whispered something in her ear. Athena turned around and walked away. Sylvia then stood up and waited until the last black car disappeared beyond her sight. She walked to the edge of the grave of her sister. She stared at the coffin for a minute. She didn't know if she should talk to it, maybe Maeve would be listening inside and the coffin would open. Maeve would grin at her and explain that it was all one big prank and she would wake up from this nightmare.  
Sylvia thought it was best not to. Instead, she pulled off the delicate chain around her neck and held it above the coffin. She breathed in deeply and as she exhaled, she released the necklace. Her arm lowered back to her side and she closed her eyes. It would be so easy, she thought, she could just fall in and it would be over, her pain, her loss. She opened her eyes and frowned.

**Can't the world go away  
Lock the door  
Come back another day  
I don't know what to do  
So I'm holding on to you  
I can live without most everything **

**Can't the world go away  
Lock the door  
Come back another day **

**So many wasted years  
Too many lonely tears  
I can live without most everything  
But I can't live without you**

A/N: This takes us up to the end of Harry's 4th year (GOF). Next up,a crazy summer with the Order of the Phoenix and another revealed family secret concerning James Potter! Yes, this is more of a soap opera than I intended but I do hope you all are enjoying it!


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